Andrés Iniesta, who will turn 40 on May 11, continues to leave his mark on football. Yesterday, the man from Fuentelabilla reached another milestone in his long and successful career by playing his 1,000th match as a professional. He reached that number, which very few players in history have reached, after playing in the match between his team, Emirates FC, and Ajman of the United Arab Emirates League.
“It means something very special for me. When I played on the Fuentealbilla court or in Albacete, my dream was to be a footballer, but I could never imagine that I could enjoy such a long and beautiful career. I feel privileged for everything that “I have been able to live and for all the love received during these years. A thousand thanks to everyone who has supported me, especially my parents and my family, for their unconditional support,” said the former Barça player about his 1,000 games.
Iniesta has spent most of his career at Barça, where he first trained at La Masia and then played 723 professional games, 49 with Barça B and 674 with the first team. Subsequently, the man from Albacete played a total of 134 games with Vissel Kobe, adding to the 131 with the Spanish senior team. This season he has completed a thousand matches playing 12 matches with Emirates FC.
The former Blaugrana has a practically unmatched career in the beautiful game, only comparable to that of his former teammate Leo Messi. Iniesta has won 38 titles, the third most in history, and among those won are a World Cup and two European Championships with Spain and four Champions Leagues and 10 Leagues with Barça.
During his 1,000 games as a professional he has scored 104 goals and provided 192 assists. Plus, he hasn’t seen a red card in his entire career. Among the players who have reached and surpassed a thousand matches also include Leo Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gianluigi Buffon, Iker Casillas, Raúl González, Paolo Maldini and his former partner in the Blaugrana midfield Xavi Hernández.
